Throughdrying is a well known method of drying tissue sheets, such as those useful for facial tissue, bath tissue, paper towels and the like. In general, the method involves supporting a wet web on a throughdrying fabric and passing hot air through the web/fabric structure to dry the web with minimal compaction. Throughdrying fabrics have evolved into more three-dimensional structures in order to provide texture and bulk to the tissue sheet, which is often perceived as advantageous by consumers. Examples of such relatively three-dimensional throughdrying fabrics are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,686 to Chiu et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,248 to Wendt et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,398,910 B1 to Burazin et al., all of which are hereby incorporated by reference. More recently, reformable papermaking fabrics, including throughdrying fabrics, have been developed in which the surface contour of a fabric can be altered to change its characteristics without changing fabrics on the papermaking machine. Such fabrics and methods of making them are disclosed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/672,831 entitled “Method of Making Paper Using Reformable Fabrics, filed Sep. 26, 2003 in the name of Burazin et al., herein incorporated by reference.
Although such three-dimensional throughdrying fabrics have many advantages, the texture imparted to the dried tissue sheet can detract from the visibility of any decorative elements which may also be imparted to the tissue sheet. Therefore there is a need for a throughdrying fabric that can impart texture to the tissue sheet while also imparting distinctive design elements as well.